Chapter 152 One Should Always Be Grateful Rachel stared down at the red wine with an ice-cold expression on her face. She did not intend to take it.
âWhatâs this? You donât want to make a toast to Alicia and wish her a happy birthday. Miss Bennet?â Rachel remained still and Lori, Aliciaâs roommate, noticed that she had been quiet. With a sneer, she pushed the glass of wine towards the newcomer again. Everyone else in the room was giggling, eyeing Rachel with mockery. Alicia never thought that her roommate would do something like this out of the blue. She hesitated for a while whether or not she should intervene because she assumed Rachel was pregnant and couldnât drink.
In the end, she just clenched her fists and averted her gaze. Her eyes fell on the bar counter. Victor had already stood up from his seat and placed his empty wine glass on the barâs counter. He was still looking at them, but Alicia knew he had his eyes focused only on Rachel She unconsciously bit her lower lip and tightened her fists even more. Her perfectly manicured nails dug into the skin of her palm, causing a burst of pain.
Loriâs hand was a little sore and numb from holding the glass of wine, but Rachel still seemed unconcerned. She couldnât help but feel frustrated. âAre youâ¦â But before she could finish, someone abruptly took the wine glass in her hand. Carson sniff the wine and said, âMiss Bennet is allergic to alcohol and is unable to drink. Since I was the one who invited her, sheâs under my watch. Iâll drink the three glasses of wine on her behalf. Would that be okay?â
Lori was taken aback and stuttered, âMr⦠Mr. Scott, you want to drink it for her?â âOf course.â Carson raised his eyebrows. âHow about this? Iâll double that and drink six glasses of wine. Is that sincere enough?â Lori pressed her lips tightly. She never expected Carson to suddenly step in and help Rachel out. When he came in with Rachel earlier, they all thought that he wanted to embarrass her. But judging from Carsonâs attitude, this was clearly not the case. But why?
Everyone knew Carson and Victor were best friends. Everybody knew that Victor despised Rachel, and after their divorce, he had driven her out of the Sue Garden. How could Carson help Victorâs ex-wife?
Before the others could react, Carson released his grip on Rachelâs hand and asked the waiter to prepare the glasses. The waiter obliged and poured the drinks for him and he wasted no time chugging down six glasses of wine on the table.
Rachel frowned, rubbing her aching wrist and immediately distanced herself from Carson. She looked around, trying to find an opportunity to leave this damned place. But she couldnât shake off the icy glare from Victor. Suddenly, a clap echoed throughout the entire room. âMr. Scott, hands down to you!â
Someone took the initiative to applaud. The rest followed cheering as soon as he ended. Carsonâs face lit up with a smile as he glanced at Rachel. Then, he turned to look at Aliciaâs dumbfounded roommate and said, âis that okay now?â Lori suddenly snapped out of it and felt embarrassed. It felt like she was slapped in the face multiple times. It was humiliating. ââ¦. Umâ¦â Her family wasnât rich. She wouldnât have met with these wealthy people if she had not been Aliciaâs roommate. That was why she was keen on fitting in and becoming one of them.
And the best way to achieve that goal was to please Alicia. Alicia had told her so much about Victor and Rachel. Seeing her roommate holding back, Lori wanted to please her and decided to pick on Rachel, planning to embarrass her in front of everyone. But now, her plan backfired.
She thought Rachel would become a laughing stock in everyoneâs eyes, but she ended up humiliating herself for offending Carson. To think of she had offended Carson! Lori pursed her lips and lowered her head. 1 Rachel turned to glance at Carson and saw that he seemed to be fixed on Lori for now. She took a step back and turned around quickly, planning to sneak out. As soon as she headed to the nearest exit, she felt something on her skin.
âWhere are you going, Miss Bennet?â There was no escape. Carson caught her again. But something was off. Carson felt a cold glare from behind. As he got closer to Rachel, that intensity continued to freeze him. Without any doubt, it had to be Victor. He couldnât help but grin. Carson tricked Rachel in since he thought the birthday party would be boring. Not only that, but he also wanted to confirm his suspicions. He wanted to confirm whether his best friend was falling in love.
âI just drank six glasses of wine for you, but you donât seem to appreciate it. Is sneaking out your way of thanking me?â Carson chuckled. Since his grip wasnât as hard as before, Rachel managed to slip her hand away. âNo,â she murmured sarcastically, taking a step back to keep her distance.
She didnât need Carsonâs help. Rachel didnât care if things would get awkward or it would screw up Aliciaâs birthday. She couldâve saved herself. Carson was stunned for a moment, then chuckled. He didnât expect that Rachel could still be so feisty. Rachel looked at him with a confused expression. She didnât know what Carson was laughing at. âItâs honestly a shame, Miss Bennet. If only you werenât my best friendâs woman, I think Iâd really like you.
Youâre quite an intriguing woman.â With one hand in his pocket, Carson tilted his head and smiled mischievously. Rachel wouldâve ignored him. But when she heard what Carson said, she felt wary and stood her ground She could feel that Carson was up to something. She needed to be prepared for anything. âSince no one has taught you, Iâm going to do the honors.
Youâll have to learn to be grateful.â Carson came closer and grabbed her hand again. âBesides, did you really think you can leave? I donât think you came to the Crown Club for nothing, am I right? If I tell Victor about this, what would happen? Do you think heâll try to investigate why you came to this place? Huh?â
Hearing the threat, Rachel raised her head and met his eyes defiantly.